Alternate Reality
by info overtaken
Summary: What if Michael had gone rogue instead of Nikita? A glimpse into their lives if the roles were reversed. Loosely based on the episodes, with some minor changes.
1. Beginnings Reversed

**AN: I'll make this into a full story if I get reviews telling me too. If not, then please enjoy this as-is! Thanks everyone who read my first two stories, and I hope you like this one =)**

* * *

"Michael!" She said to him. But it was too late. A shot rang out, and echoed throughout the alley. In the blink of an eye, everything she stood for, and believed in, had unravelled.

* * *

It had been 3 years since Michael had gone rogue. Three years since she had seen his face, or heard his voice. She wondered where he was, and what he was doing. She hoped, in all desperation, that he was still alive. Michael had been her trainer, her mentor, her friend, but now he was gone. Could she really blame him though? Division had killed his fiancée, Danielle. Michael had always warned her not to get too attached to her cover life, and in an ironic twist, did the very thing he had trained her not to do. He paid a heavy price for it, but so did Nikita. Without Michael around, days went by in a blur, all so monotonous and dull; training recruits, going on missions, doing Percy's bidding for him – rinse and repeat. In Michael's absence, Nikita had risen in rank, essentially taking over his "job". She was Percy's right-hand woman, and second in charge. She had her doubts about some of the jobs they did, but ultimately, she stayed because she wanted to protect the new recruits, the way Michael had protected her. But then it finally happened. Percy had received a phone call, and informed Nikita that Michael was back on the radar. Her heart skipped a beat, but she remained cool on her exterior. She was tasked with finding Michael, and confirming the kill. In her subconscious, she was positive she couldn't go through with it, but she would never admit that to anyone, let alone herself.

She escorted Percy to the governor's ball, and hoped against all hope that Michael wouldn't let himself be caught by the Division agents that had been sent out earlier to capture him. Word quickly reached her though that Michael had escaped, and had kidnapped Birkhoff as well.

"More champagne, Miss?" A voice said from behind her, and she turned to see Michael, dressed as a waiter, with a tray and champagne bottle. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"What are you doing here, Michael?" She hissed at him urgently, and looked around trying to locate Percy. Michael just smirked at her, the same way he always had, and looked past her to see Percy making his way over to them.

"Well, well. Isn't this a surprise! Glad you could join us, Michael. To what do we owe this pleasure?" Percy said in his usual slimy demeanour. Nikita knew that Percy was well equipped for the situation at hand, and this made her uneasy. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a couple of undercover agents making their way towards the three of them. She hoped Michael noticed them too...

"I'm here to empty my magazine into your skull," Michael said flatly to Percy, purposefully ignoring Nikita's eyes. Percy nodded subtly at his agents, and they made their way through the crowd of people toward Michael. Without warning, he whipped out a gun, seemingly from nowhere, and took out the two agents with two swift shots to the chest. He turned to aim at Percy, but saw that Nikita had already grabbed him and pushed him to safety behind a mini bar. Everyone in the hall was now screaming and running for their lives, which made things a little more difficult for him as well. Michael thought he'd better get out of there, and ran towards an exit. He sensed that Nikita was on his tail, and kicked up his speed. He broke through a window and crashed into the back alley of the building.

"Michael! Stop!" Nikita called out to him, gun drawn and aimed at his chest. He held his hands up, and turned around slowly. She told him to throw his gun down and get down on the ground. He tossed his gun aside, and took a few steps towards her. She could feel her whole body tense up. She repositioned her gun and called for him to get down on the ground and spread his arms and legs. He grinned at her, and replied, "Just like old times?" She felt her heart twang, and then felt angry.

"Shut up, Michael, just shut up! What are you doing back here? How can you come back after all this time? Why now, Michael? Why?" She snapped at him, years of emotions and questions and pains coursing through her words. It surprised Michael, but he didn't show it.

"Nikita, you know why I'm here. Someone has to stop Percy. He's out of control. How can you turn a blind eye to what he's doing? To what _Division_ is doing? To what _you _are doing?" His words cut through her, and she knew he was right, but she couldn't just abandon her recruits, and she knew Michael knew that too. She did the only thing she could think to do – she told Michael about Percy's black boxes, and the fail-safe system set in place.

"You can't take down Division, Michael. No one can." She said quite somberly. Michael looked at her, took another step so that they were face to face, and replied, "Then stop me now, or help me, Nikita." For a moment, she was lost in his gaze - so familiar, so comfortable, so right. How she had missed him so! She was momentarily carried away with his scent, the scruffiness of him, and his soft, sparkling eyes. Then she heard a noise behind her, freeing her from her trance, and she realized that others would soon be following them.

"Michael..." she started to say, but before she even realized what was happening, he had pulled out a backup gun from god-knows-where, and shot her. The shock of being shot was nothing compared to the pain of knowing that it was Michael who had done it. How could he? After everything they'd been through. She trusted him with her life. She never expected he could be capable of doing such a thing. Maybe she'd been wrong to believe in him all these years... Maybe he really had gone rogue...

"Nikita, listen to me. It's a clean shot, it went right through. I only did this to protect you, you'll be okay!" And with that, he ran off into the night, leaving Nikita on the floor in the alley. Five seconds later, she was swarmed by Division agents, surrounding her to make sure she was alright. She was wounded, and in more ways than one. How could she continue to pine over someone who had fallen in love with another woman, gone rogue, and had actually just shot her? When did life get so complicated? As she was being carted away in a Division ambulance, she thought of what the future would look like.

Michael knew about the black boxes now...

Nikita slipped out of consciousness, and had anybody been paying close attention, they would have noticed her whisper "Michael", before drifting off.


	2. War is Declared

**Thank you for all the positive reviews for chapter 1! I hope you enjoy this one just as much ^_^**  


* * *

Birkhoff awoke suddenly and found himself in a dark and dank room. He was disoriented, but he guessed he was in an abandoned warehouse, as he could see a tiny crack of light in the distance. He was seated in an extremely uncomfortable chair, and his legs were zip-tied to it. His hands were handcuffed behind his back, and the chair was bolted to the ground. Basically, he was stuck. His head throbbed like crazy, and he tried to groan, only then realizing that his mouth was duct taped shut. Panic finally set in as the memory of what had happened flooded back to him. He had been taken by Michael! Of all people! Nobody really believed it at first when word got out that Michael had gone rogue. But now, sitting in the dark, beaten and bruised, Birkhoff realized it was all too true, and he was terrified.

"Ah, good, I see you're awake." Birkhoff heard Michael's voice, but couldn't tell which direction it came from.

"M..Michael..?" Birkhoff called out into the darkness. Michael emerged from the shadows to the left of Birkhoff. He suddenly felt at ease, and he grinned at his captor.

"Jeez, Michael, you look like hell." He said jokingly to lighten the mood. Michael just looked at him in his usual demeanour. Always the same Birkhoff, even when he was captured, he still had to be a smartass. Michael produced a laptop from behind his back, and opened it in front of Birkhoff.

"I need access to Divisions files. Give me the codes, and I'll let you live." Michael dangled the computer in front of Birkhoff.

"Let me live?" Birkhoff nearly laughed. "If I do this for you, I'm good as dead. Percy will slit my throat and throw me to the wolves. You know I can't do this for you Michael, as much as I would _love_ to help you in your little vendetta to take us down." Michael pistol-whipped him across the face to shut him up.

"Oh, did that upset you Michael? What's your endgame? You gonna take us all down by yourself, watch us burn, and then what? You know you're going to have to kill your way through everyone you know, right? I guess you'll be starting with me." Birkhoff sat back defiantly.

"You bring up some valid points, Birkhoff, but here's where you're wrong. I'm not working alone. I have an army behind me, and we're just waiting to strike. I have all the time in the world to watch Division burn, so I'm going to take my time." Now it was Michael's turn to look defiant. Birkhoff looked confused for a split second, but then spat out, "If you have an army then why do you need my codes, huh Michael? I call your bluff!" Michael just smirked at him and walked away. He decided to let Birkhoff sweat it out for a bit longer.

* * *

Meanwhile, many miles away, in Divisions underground training facility, Nikita was waking up a new recruit.

"But, why _me_? What do I have to do?"

Nikita sighed, if only she had a nickel for every time a newbie asked her this...

"Learn, for starters. How not to be a teen meth whore. How to walk, how to talk, but most importantly, how to serve your country. We start tomorrow at 6am." And with that, she turned on her heel, and walked out the door, leaving the new recruit to digest all the information. Nikita had high hopes for this one, who was found, high as a kite, just having murdered a low-life arms dealer that had been on Division's radar for weeks. A perfect recruit. No background, no family, in relatively good health (junkie habits aside), a fighter, but most importantly, a survivor.

* * *

"Okay, Michael, you win, I give up. Who are you working for?" Birkhoff's resistant was wearing down, but he was determined not to break. Michael just sat and cocked an eyebrow at him. The two men had been friends, once upon a time. They'd even gone out for drinks, just once though. How different a view it was, from where they were both sitting. Michael knew he couldn't hold Birkhoff forever, but he was just biding his time, and _maybe_ letting out some repressed anger. He decided it was high time to set his plan into motion. He grabbed his syringe and walked over to Birkhoff. A twisted part of him enjoyed seeing the fear in Birkhoff's eyes, and seeing him squirm ever so slightly.

"Tell Percy, tell _everyone_, that I'm coming for them. They can join me, or they can burn down with Division." Michael shoved the needle of anaesthetic into Birkhoff. He was out before he could reply with something witty. Michael smiled to himself, and began to haul the dead weight of Birkhoff's body into a stolen truck. He was going to dump him at a playground.

"This ought to get their attention," he thought to himself. He had a long road ahead, but he was thankful he had an ally on the inside. A mole inside Division. His work was just beginning.

Once Michael was finished gift wrapping Birkhoff onto a swingset, he un-jammed the tracker signal, and left the scene of the crime.

Back at Division, Birkhoff's tracker blipped onto the screen, and Nikita was immediately dispatched to check it out.

"Where's Michael, Nerd?" Nikita nearly laughed at the site before her. She smiled to herself, and wished she could show Michael, but then she realized that he'd already seen it, having been the one who had tied up Birkhoff.

"He's long gone, Niki. Great work though. I was missing, what, 48 hours? Good to know you guys are on the ball." With that remark fresh from his breath, Nikita had cut him down in one fell swoop, and he fell and landed flat on his butt. She smirked. She had glad he was alive and okay, but she couldn't help but wonder what had happened.

She and Percy were being debriefed about the events that transpired, from his abduction, to his rescue. Something didn't seem right, so she piped up, "There's a reason you're still alive, Birkhoff. Why would Michael take you just to ruffle your feathers? There's got to be another reason."

"Hah! You're just jealous he didn't ask about you, babe." Birkhoff shot her a sideways grin, and Percy cleared his throat to set him back on track. Nikita shot him a glance, and the three of them went over, again, what had happened. Finally, Percy had decided to take things a little further, and called in Amanda, to have a full scale "sweep" of Birkhoff, and to get a clear idea of just how loyal his little computer tech really was. Nikita started to leave, but Percy called out to her, "Nikita. How's our new recruit doing? Number 13?"

"Good, sir. It's only the first day, but I see a lot of potential in Thom."


	3. The Newbie

**My brain is working in overdrive, so if something doesn't make sense, or the timeline doesn't line up, PLEASE let me know so I can fix it! Thx, and enjoy!  
And just so no one is confused, parts of chapters 1, 2 and 3 are happening simultaneously with each other (at least, I think they are!).**

* * *

He'd been waiting for this moment for so long. Months of preparation and training were finally about to pay off. He knew everything about everyone, and the whole layout of Division. He'd been taught well by his mentor. He played the part of confused recruit perfectly. He awoke to find himself face to face with Nikita. He'd heard so much about her from Michael, but seeing her in person was an entirely different experience. He had tried to pry once, about their past, but all he could gather was that _something_ had happened between the two of them, and so Nikita was neutral territory. Still, she was Division, and she wasn't to be trusted. Thom got dressed in the sweats Division had given him, and walked to the mess hall for breakfast. "Day One, here we go!" He thought to himself. He sat in the corner with his tray, and looked down as he ate his meal. Suddenly, he felt a presence loom over him. He looked up to see another recruit sit down across from him.

"What do you want?" Thom demanded from the recruit. He studied her – she was an attractive brunette, around his age, and seemed harmless enough.

"So you're the newbie. Feisty one, aren't ya? I'm Alex." She smiled and sat down across from him. "What's your name?" Thom didn't answer her, and he looked away. He heard her sigh.

"Look, whatever your story is, we've heard it all before. You think you have some big, bad past? Well, you don't. At least, not compared to half the people here, so spill."

"Thom. My name is Thom, okay, happy now?" He looked up at her, and was surprised to see that she was, in fact, happy.

"See now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" She got up and sauntered off. Thom was left sitting alone. He finished his breakfast and hurried off to his first class – close-quarters combat. He saw Alex sparring with a male recruit, and sat down to watch. She worked him over completely, dropping him flat on his back. She high-fived another recruit, and then spotted Thom sitting down, and walked over to him. She sat down beside him and caught her breath.

"You fight really well," he said to her. She glanced sideways at him and let out a soft laugh.

"You don't survive here if you can't," she informed him. He nodded his head, agreeing. If he didn't already know that half the recruits were cancelled before being promoted to agent status, he was sure he would have figured it out on his own fairly quickly. "It's tough, but you know, who said second chances were easy? Don't waste this opportunity." She smiled at him. _Oh, I won't waste this __**opportunity**__,_ Thom thought darkly to himself.

At the end of the day, Thom had said he was going to the computer lab to "practice" the exercises they had learnt in computer hacking class. In reality, he was going to log onto the shell program that Michael had installed, and chat with his mentor.

_Knock knock, anybody home? _

_**How did your first day go?**_

_Perfect. They don't suspect a thing. I played dumb, but not so stupid that I'll be cancelled._

_**Good. Stay alert at all times. **_

_Will do, boss. _

_**Log off now. We'll talk later.**_

_Relax, I've got the lab to myself._

_**Don't get cocky. Log off!**_

Thom was about to type something else in, when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He clicked the mouse twice and the screen looked as if he was working on the sequencing program he'd been taught earlier. Nikita appeared from behind him, and for a split second, he worried that she'd seen him using the shell program. He relaxed when he saw her expression.

"Working hard I see," Nikita examined her new recruit. He had a stubborn look to him, and suddenly he reminded her of Michael. They looked nothing alike of course, but Thom had the same quiet desperation about him, and demeanour. She swore that their posture was even similar. She found herself missing Michael terribly. It made her feel both angry and embarrassed at the same time. She wondered why he had popped up again after all this time. _What do you have planned, Michael? What are you up to? _Her arm was in a sling, having been shot by Michael just hours prior.

"Just having trouble with this sequencing, but I'll work it out." Thom looked up at her, and tried to read her. He wondered what had gone on between her and Michael. He saw so much of his mentor, mirrored in Nikita. _Makes sense, I mean he did train her too, _Thom thought to himself. How ironic, that Michael's two best students would find themselves both in Division, yet on vastly different sides. He snuck another glance at Nikita, having overheard that "some rogue agent" had shot her. He knew it had been Michael, and it made him even more curious. It made him want to outright ask her if she was on Michael's side or not. Thom simply couldn't imagine taking a bullet for a friend, without some ulterior motive. Why had Nikita let Michael shoot her? Or had it been that simple? Why didn't Michael just kill her? Surely her death would have greatly crippled Division. He didn't quite grasp the understanding between the two of them, but he accepted that there was, apparently, some sort of treaty. He lowered his eyes and kept on working.

"Lockdown is at ten, Thom. Make sure you're in your room by then." Nikita said to him and left him in the lab. As she was walking out, her phone buzzed with a new text message:

_27__th__ Street Park, green bench._

It was from a blocked number. _No point in tracing it, it's from a burner phone_, she thought.

Half an hour later, Nikita got out of her car at the park. She looked around, cautiously, and had her gun ready. She spotted the green bench, and made her way over. She inspected it for three seconds before she saw the note taped underneath. She grabbed it, and tentatively opened it, as if expecting it to shoot dye at her face or something ridiculous. Instead, she was surprised to see that it was a handwritten note:

_**I'm sorry  
- M**_

She smiled bittersweetly to herself, and tucked the note into her pocket. It didn't make up for the pain of the betrayal, or the sting of the gunshot, but it was certainly a start.


	4. Ghosts from the Past I

Michael stared in shock at the computer screen. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Memories from the past flooded him, and he felt overwhelmed. It was Victor Han; a man who he believed was dead. It had been Nikita's first mission. He remembered it well because it had been the cause of their first "fight". She questioned Division, and Michael, who, back then was the ever loyal soldier, stood up for Percy, and stood up for Division. He reflected on the irony of the situation now. Soon afterwards, they had moved on with their lives – Nikita falling into the clutches of Percy, believing what they did to be necessary. Michael blamed himself entirely for that. They were on opposite sides because of him. He was the one that drove her to Percy. As Michael's eyes were opened to the horror that was Division, Nikita became blind to the atrocity it was becoming. Michael sighed. He knew it was all his fault and no one else could dig him out of the hole he had dug for himself. He thought back to how it all started.

It was four years earlier. Michael was working deep undercover on a mission when he met Danielle. It was innocent at first, and even Michael himself was surprised at the way he felt. He would pass her in the hall, and feel his heart skip a beat. She would smile at him, and he would feel flustered. He hadn't felt that way since his wife... It made him feel uneasy, but also very happy. It felt different with Nikita – with her, he was just Michael from Division, and she liked him for the man he had become. With Danielle, he was Michael from _before._ She liked him for the man he _was. _She made him feel as if it was still possible to be the man he was before Division. He was caught up in the dream. It was just a crush (or so he told himself). She lived the floor above him, in his undercover-apartment, and one day he invited her over for dinner. He'd never felt so nervous about a date in his entire life. He made sure everything was immaculate. He cleaned, he cooked, they wined, they dined. It was the best date Michael had ever been on. She was so easy to talk to, so smart about so many things, and he enjoyed her company immensely. Dinner turned into a whirlwind romance, and within 6 months, Michael found himself proposing to her. He was foolish enough to think that, being second-in-command at Division, his apartment would not be under surveillance. He thought wrong. Percy had seen the whole thing on video, and remarked jealously, "She seems like a distraction for Michael. Have Roan take care of her." And that was that. Amanda had agreed with Percy that Michael did seem oddly smitten with the civilian, and neither one liked it. Nikita was in the dark about the whole situation, having been working her own mission. Michael was near hysterical when he found out. He'd fallen in love with her, and she'd been killed for it. He realized that Division would never allow him to leave, and he severed all ties immediately. He swore he would take them down. _Division will burn, _thought Michael. He desperately wanted Nikita to switch sides with him. He missed her terribly, but he realized that as long as she was in Percy's grasp, she would be stuck there. It's not like he could just go and have a conversation with her and persuade her to join him. He also knew that she had taken over his job as mentor and protector of the new recruits, and while he felt guilty for leaving the "kids" on their own, he knew that this was the right thing to do. The first time Michael had seen Nikita, after Danielle, he felt an intense rush of feelings. He felt sorrow, relief, and guilt. Though they weren't in a relationship, seeing Nikita made him feel as if by being with Danielle, he had somehow "cheated" on her. He knew she felt confused and perhaps even angry that he had gone and gotten himself engaged. Moreover, she felt betrayed. The man who had trained her, taught her "right" from "wrong", was now changing the whole game. He knew she had every right to be angry with him for leaving, going "rogue". He thought back to that crucial moment.

*** 4 Years Earlier ***

"_Michael! You can't leave. Please, don't go." Nikita practically pleaded with him, half angry, half sad. They spoke in hushed voices in Nikita's apartment. Michael had already left Division, and had stopped by her place to either try and convince her to come with him, or say goodbye._

"_Nikita, they killed Dani. Don't you see, Division is out of control! I can't stay here anymore. I'm leaving... Come with me?" He half asked her, half commanded her._

"_Come with you? To where, Michael? Division will find us, and they will kill us. What about the recruits? We can't leave them." Nikita's eyes pierced right through his. He knew she was right about the recruits, but he also knew he couldn't stay. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. _

"_I found a way to take our trackers out, Nikita. But we'd have to leave now. We can take Division down. We can save all the recruits, and let Percy burn for all his sins. Come with me." This time he said it as a command. Nikita looked on the verge of tears. His heart sank, and he knew she had made up her mind._

"_Michael... I... can't." Nikita held back a sob, but a tear ran down her cheek. They locked eyes. He raised a hand and wiped away her tear. He brushed her cheek softly, and instinctively and impulsively, his hand went behind her head, and pulled her in for a kiss. It started off as a gentle goodbye kiss, but quickly deepened into a steamy, heart-wrenching goodbye. After an eternity, they finally broke apart from each other. No words needed to be said. She fell back against the wall, and he made his way to the door, looking back one last time at her. _

_Following his exodus from Division, he promptly had his tracker removed, and went underground. He worked tirelessly, trying to find a way to take down Division. Plotting, planning, revising, and keeping tabs on Percy. Michael left no trail wherever he went. Finally, one day, he had found his protégé, and he felt ready to set his plan in motion._

Now that he had Thom on the inside, he felt as if things were finally looking up. Michael wanted to right all the wrongs he had committed, and he wanted to start with Nikita. He had been chasing lead after lead for quite some time, until he came face to face with the ghost of Victor Han.

"Michael..? I should have known. My men told me some psycho white man burned down my factory. You're going to pay for this." Victor taunted Michael over the computer.

"Oh, really? I think _you're_ going to be the one who pays," Michael said coolly to him, as he tracked Han's location. _Hong Kong, eh? Well Victor, I hope you're ready for me, _Michael thought to himself. Victor was still rambling on about what a mistake Michael had made by coming after him, but Michael had stopped listening. He yawned, waved goodbye to Victor with his gun, then shot the computer. Michael smiled to himself. He knew he had about 20 seconds before Division and Han's men would be all over him. He made his way to the back entrance of the building, and turned a corner, bumping swiftly into Nikita. Both raised their guns at the other immediately.

"Michael! What are you doing here?" Nikita barked at him.

"Oh, just conversing with our old friend, Victor Han." Michael said urgently.

Nikita dropped her gun slightly with surprise. "What are you talking about, Michael?" She trained her gun back on him.

"Victor Han is alive, Nikita. I just talked to him on webcam. Percy played both sides, again." Michael lowered his gun.

"I.. " Nikita was speechless, ".. Are you sure?"

Michael wanted to laugh. "Nikita, I _just_ saw and spoke with Han. He's in Hong Kong, and I'm going after him." He knew it was risky telling her his next move, but he wanted to trust her. He knew that the score was just as personal for her as it was to him. He could see the wheels in her mind spinning quickly, trying to process all this information. She lowered her gun after a moment. He heard the agents coming in, and took that as his cue to leave. She stepped aside to let him past, signifying a momentary truce. As he brushed past her, he said, "This one's for you. And I hope your shoulder is better." Nikita allowed herself a small smile. She ran in the opposite direction to hold off her lackeys, and give Michael a better chance to escape. She sincerely hoped that he'd make his way to Hong Kong, and take out Victor.

"You let him escape, again?" Percy raised his eyebrow at Nikita. She felt oddly angry that he was questioning her – even though she did, in fact, let him escape.

"Michael was already gone by the time I got there, sir." She said, matter-of-factly. Percy eyed her for a moment before speaking again. "I'm sure you know by now, Victor Han is alive." He paused to see her reaction. "I'm sending you to Hong Kong. Han thinks Michael will try to find him there, so I want you to set a trap for him, if he shows." Nikita nodded and headed towards the door. As she opened it, Percy called out after her, "And, Nikita, see if you can finally confirm the kill on Michael this time..." Nikita closed the door behind her, and let out a small sigh.

Meanwhile, from his room, Thom had been listening in on the whole conversation. Earlier in the month, he had snuck into Percy's office, and planted a listening device. He had hooked it up to his radio, so he could tune in and listen whenever he pleased. He scrambled the station, and headed to the computer lab. Thom smirked to himself, as he eased down into his seat. He opened the shell program, which was, amazingly enough, created by Nikita. Michael had told him all about the "secret" program that Nikita had created as a recruit. She had thought it was a secret, but Michael of course knew about it. The mere fact that he never did anything to destroy or report it, spoke volumes about his trust in her, and his lack thereof in Division. He also knew that using it was risky, since Nikita could log in anytime and discover that it was being used.

_Hey boss, you there?_

_**Headed to Hong Kong to take down Han, be gone for at least a week. What's happening on your end?**_

_Percy's sending Nikita to kill you in HK, so watch out._

_**Don't worry, we have an understanding.**_

_And what might that be?_

_**Don't push your luck... We have an understanding. Han is personal for her too. Gotta go. Stay safe.**_

Michael logged off. He didn't like it when Thom pried about Nikita. It was complicated enough, without trying to explain it. Thom rolled his eyes. Michael always avoided the topic of Nikita. He wondered how, for someone who was supposedly engaged to another woman, could have such a deep "fondness" for another woman. He shrugged it off. _One of these days, I'll find out what went down between them, _Thom said to himself.

"Working hard?" Alex surprised Thom. He turned to see Alex standing next to him, grinning.

"Not really..." he replied. Alex's eyes sparked.

"Great! I need someone to spar with. C'mon." She nudged him. He smiled and logged off the computer.

They headed to the training room together, talking and laughing.


	5. Ghosts from the Past II

Alex was sitting on her bed when Thom knocked on her door. She let him in, and he sat next to her to comfort her. Just hours ago, she had stopped Robbie, a rogue recruit, from running around and killing a bunch of guards. He was their peer, their friend, and she felt terrible about it. Thom did his best to console her, "He needed to be taken down, Alex. You did the right thing." But his words weren't getting through to her. She hugged him, and suddenly, Thom flashed back to something Michael had told him, before they infiltrated Division:

"_You __**will**__ form attachments to the recruits, Thom. It's inevitable. I'm just telling you that you have to be prepared for all aspects of this mission." Michael cautioned him for seemingly the millionth time._

"_Relax, boss. I'm not going there to make friends - I'm going there to take Division down."_

_Michael snapped at him, "You don't know what it's like down there! These people aren't Division, they're recruits. They're innocent, and they will be brainwashed by Percy. When you're down there, I won't be able to come and rescue you, so you have to stay on your guard, all the time. And, I'm telling you, you will make friends while you're there. Just, be careful is all." _

Thom was suddenly very aware of the proximity of his body to Alex's. She was still hugging him, and he realized all at once just how much he had grown to care for her. He pulled back from the hug, and without warning, plunged forward and kissed her. It lasted about a second, until Alex broke the kiss, "I... can't", she said, and gave him an odd look. She mumbled something about being late to meet Amanda, and left her room hurriedly. Thom was left sitting on the bed alone, and he could feel his cheeks flush, and his heart pound in his chest with utter confusion.

It had been six weeks since the Victor Han Hong Kong debacle. Michael had captured him and turned him in to the police. Nikita had come back to Division empty handed – no Han, and no Michael. Percy was not pleased. Thom secretly celebrated the victory, but he found himself feeling bad for Nikita. She had a different air to her upon her return from Hong Kong, and he noticed a slight shift in the atmosphere in Division. In his short time there, Thom had risen up as a star recruit, earning the attention of Nikita. He reminded her of Michael, and she couldn't shake the feeling. They were so similar, and she found herself thinking about Michael more and more often. _How can two people be so alike? _She wondered to herself whenever she saw Thom do something that she deemed _inherently Michael._ Nikita decided she was just projecting her feelings of Michael onto Thom. She drew the line when she caught herself watching him spar with some other recruits, and was starting to feel a bit creepy, but suddenly she saw something. Had it been any other day, she would have dismissed it and said her eyes were just playing tricks on her. But she was positive she saw what she saw. Thom had just done Michael's signature kick-fakeout-jab-and-takedown move. She should know – Michael himself had taught her the move all those years ago when he had trained her. Nikita suddenly thought back to Hong Kong. Michael _**had**_ anticipated her every move. Of course, he had trained her, and knew her tactics, but she had felt almost as if he had _known_ she was coming. It was as if he tailored his plan to execute perfectly with her showing up at the right time. _How could he have known that? Is Thom a spy? But how could Thom have known I was sent to Hong Kong? He's just a recruit... But there's something about him... But I told Michael that I wouldn't pursue him to Hong Kong... But maybe he thought I'd double-cross him? Maybe he told me his plans to lure me out there to trap me! _Nikita was thinking a mile a minute, and slowly her suspicions shifted from Thom back to Michael. _I should have known I couldn't trust him. He set me up! He played on my emotions, and he used it to leverage himself. He wanted me there all along, so that when he took Victor down, I'd come back empty-handed and Percy would blame it all on me. You really are ruthless, Michael. _Nikita sighed to herself. She had been tricked again by Michael. She glanced over to Thom again, and couldn't shake the feeling that something just wasn't right. After watching him for a minute longer, she decided that Michael's paranoia must be finally rubbing off on her, and that Thom was in fact, just a recruit.

That night, as Nikita lay in bed, she replayed (for what she guessed was the 600th time) in her mind the events that transpired in Hong Kong:

_Michael had chartered his own plane to Hong Kong, and was lying in wait, getting ready to make his move. Somehow, word had reached him that Nikita was on her way there – to "protect" Victor Han, and also to eliminate Michael. She was patrolling Han's estate, combing over every inch of his property, when she was suddenly pulled into a thicket. She tried to disarm her attacker, and in the process, realized that it was none other than Michael. Both stopped squirming immediately, and locked eyes. _

"_What are you doing here, Michael?" Nikita whispered to him harshly._

"_As if you don't know! Nikita, I told you I was coming here. Better question is, what are __**you**__ doing here?"_

"_Percy sent me," Nikita defended herself, "he found out that you were going after Han."_

"_Hmm, wonder how that happened!" Michael glared at her. She was hurt that he'd think she'd go back on her word, but she realized they weren't exactly in positions of trust with one another._

"_I didn't tell him, Michael! Victor Han did!" Nikita shot back at him. She was angry, and she reached for her gun. "Make this easy on yourself, Michael. Turn yourself over to me, and I'll take you in to Division alive." Michael almost laughed. He looked at her again to make sure she wasn't joking. Here they were, crouched in a thicket of bushes on Victor Han's estate, arguing. It was simply ridiculous. He suddenly shushed her, and slouched down, pulling her under him and resting gently on her. _

"_Michael, what are yo-" But he cut her off by placing his hand over her mouth. She heard her own team walk by, maybe not even 6 feet away. She could also feel Michael's breath on her cheek. She tried hard to think about anything else. When the Division team was far enough away, Michael whispered softly to her,_

"_Nikita, please let me do this. I know you want Victor Han shown to justice too. Tell them your sweep of the area was clean, and to move out. I'll make my move, and I'll be in and out in under five minutes. No one has to know..." His eyes pleaded silently with hers. Nikita thought really hard about her decision at hand. She wasn't quite prepared to betray Division the same way Michael had, yet she so badly wanted Han to reap each and every bad sow that he had seeded. Finally, she relented, and nodded her head. Michael removed his hand covering her mouth. He lay on top of her, pinning her down, unmoving, and the two looked into each other's eyes until the crack of a branch nearby broke them from their trance. _

"_Michael..?" Nikita breathed. _

"_Yeah?" Their faces were centimetres apart._

"_If you want to make your move, now would be the time to do it." _

_Michael looked at her, slightly aroused and slightly confused for a moment, until he realized she was talking about Victor, and not __**something else. **__He wanted so badly to kiss her, but he knew she was right – now was the time to strike, and he couldn't afford to "waste" any precious time. He sidled himself off of Nikita, double-checked to see that the coast was clear, and took off in a run towards the house. Nikita was left lying in a heap on the ground in the thicket._

Nikita sighed. _Was it really all an act?_ After Danielle, she just wasn't sure anymore. They had both been trained in the art of seduction. Had she simply been played by another player? She simply refused to believe that Michael could stoop so low and resort to such personal tactics. Of course, she didn't deny that there was some sort of electricity going on between her and Michael, but she couldn't define it. It wasn't even anything tangible. A kiss a few years ago – it meant nothing! He was just saying goodbye, and their emotions were running rampant.

Or so she kept telling herself.

She sighed, rolled over in her bed and went to sleep.


	6. The Arms of the Enemy

Ever since kissing Alex, Thom had been extra careful around her. He'd sat up in bed all night trying to analyze what exactly had happened. _It was a mistake Thom, you just got carried away in the moment. Live the lie until you become it, right? _Thom was battling with himself, and tried to justify his actions. He kept telling himself that it didn't mean anything, and that he was just playing the part of recruit. But that annoying, nagging part of him kept recalling back to what Michael had told him, just months earlier. _You'll connect with the recruits, Thom. You can't keep your walls up all the time, and sooner or later, someone will slip through the cracks. Just be careful. _At the time, Thom had rolled his eyes and shrugged it off. He was going there with the sole purpose of taking down Division – the people behind the death of his family. There was simply no way that he would be distracted by something so petty and meaningless as a friendship. Thom sat back and thought about the mission, and reflected on how similar he and Michael were. Both men had lost their families. Both sought to avenge their loved ones. Thom honestly couldn't decide which was worse – a young boy losing his parents, or a young man losing his wife and young daughter. He shuddered, and snapped himself out if his own pity party. He had work to do.  
He had caught wind of an op going down in Uzbekistan, and that flagged his attention immediately. He logged onto the shell program and typed to Michael:

_Uzbekistan alert, boss!_

_**Are you sure?**_

_Positive. They're sending Nikita._

_**Thx. Msg you when I'm back.**_

_Good luck._

Thom logged off and sat pensively for a moment. This was the moment that Michael had been waiting for, for eight long years. He could only imagine the anticipation, anxiety and excitement that Michael would be feeling. Thom wondered when he would finally get to feel that way. _When Division is gone and Percy is in the ground, _Thom thought to himself. He smiled sweetly to himself and walked back to his room. _I'm counting down the days, you bastards. Michael and I are going to burn you down…_

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Division, Nikita was contemplating her upcoming mission. Percy had received word from a contact that Kasim had surfaced in Uzbekistan. It was the perfect time to flush out Michael, and kill Kasim. _Two birds with one stone,_ Percy had said. Nikita didn't know how to feel about the mission. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that Michael would catch wind of Kasim, and be there in Uzbekistan. She didn't think she could bring herself to kill him while he was out on a vendetta for his family. Percy had purposely put her in this tough position, and she knew he'd be waiting for his results. Anything less than perfect would be unacceptable, and Nikita wasn't sure if she could lie her way out of another situation. She let out a long sigh, and began to plan out just exactly how she could save Michael and let him kill Kasim, all while making it look like she had done everything in her power to do just the opposite. Things had to be perfect, she knew that. She had to not only account for her own moves, but that of Michael's as well. She had to predict his movements. She pinpointed one area specifically, the dealer's house, which would be perfect to strike. She knew Michael would be thinking the same thing.

_Does he have a mole? How can he know all these things… I know he has contacts from being in Division for so long, but there are just some things I __**know**__ that he couldn't have known…_

Nikita thought long and hard about Michael's intel, and the real source of it. Maybe it was a simple hack job… Sure, Birkhoff was great and all, but maybe Michael had picked up a little something-something along the way to bypass Division's firewall. "Yes, that has to be it," she said out loud to herself.

Michael sat looking at his computer screen. He reread Thom's words for the twentieth time. It still hadn't sunk in. _Is it really him?_ Michael wondered to himself. He immediately whipped out his phone to confirm the news with his overseas contact. After a few minutes his phone blipped with a text and an attachment. It said, "It's him," and the attachment was a somewhat pixelated, black and white photo of Kasim. Michael clenched his jaw and stared at his phone. Suddenly there was a sour taste in his mouth. He scrolled away from the photo and took a deep breath in. He needed to focus and plan everything carefully. He knew he only had one shot at this, and he wanted to make sure that everything went perfectly. He knew Nikita would be there to foil his plan, and so he'd need to take care of her first – whatever that meant.

Percy sat back in his office, a smug grin on his face. Michael had been a thorn in his side for a little too long now, and he was about to remedy it. Actually, he was going to send Nikita to remedy it. His eyes flickered with a dangerous glint in them. _Sometimes you really outdo yourself, old boy. _He thought to himself, as he poured himself a glass of scotch on the rocks. Just hours earlier, he himself had telephoned Kasim to tell him of his troubles about Michael. The terrorist seemed amused that the same man could have done so much damage to Percy's operations. Kasim had agreed to "surface" in order to flush out Michael, in return for doing the arms deal and getting to keep all the money. Percy had agreed. Unbeknownst to Kasim, Percy had already made plans for the terrorist to perish along with Michael. It was a perfect plan. Not only would he take out an international terrorist, he'd take out Michael, acquire some new weapons, and make a cool three million dollars. _Just another day at the office, _thought Percy. He finished his scotch, straightened his tie, and left his office.

Michael entered his hotel room in Uzbekistan and set his things down on the dresser. His ears pricked up and the back of his neck tingled. In one swift motion, he grabbed his gun and turned around to point it at the intruder.

"Nikita? What the hell are you doing here?" Michael was surprised. He knew she'd pop up somewhere along the way, he just didn't expect to see her in his hotel room. Nikita was leaning casually against his doorway. She smiled at him, and held her hands up, in a peaceful gesture. He pointed his gun at her, probing her for an answer. Her expression hardened and turned serious.

"I'm here to help you, Michael." _Well, this is an unexpected twist, _mused Michael. Still, he didn't quite trust her…

"I don't trust you." She looked hurt, and he felt a little guilty, but he pressed on, "Gun, on the floor, now." She carefully placed her piece on the floor and kicked it towards him.

"The knife in your boot, and the baby, too." Nikita nearly rolled her eyes, but seeing as how Michael's gun was still trained on her, she complied. She placed her knife and backup gun on the floor alongside her main piece.

"Honestly, Michael, if I wanted to bring you in, don't you think you'd be swarmed with a dozen agents by now?" He considered that for a moment, before refocusing.

"Then why are you helping me? Did you leave Division?" He was somewhat sarcastic in his delivery. Her face softened before she answered, "I want to help you because I know what you lost. Let's leave Division out of this. You and I both know that this op will be complicated. There's only one location that we can strike from, and judging from the terrain and target, this is at least a two man op." Michael lowered his gun from Nikita, and looked down. Deep down he knew she was right, and it would be nice to have her help. _Can I really trust her though? _While some doubt still lingered in his subconscious, he felt that he could trust her for this, and he hoped someday soon her could trust her with everything. He sighed.

"Am I at least one of the men?"

* * *

**An: Sorry for the delay, been super swamped! I'll try and update again soon! Hope you enjoyed :)**


	7. Love or Duty?

**AN: **Sorry for the long delay everyone! Thanks for being so patient! I hope it was worth the wait! I'll be updating regularly from now on! Enjoy! Reviews would be very, very appreciated :)

* * *

"Something's wrong."

"Wow, two words I never thought I'd hear you say." She teased him, but the look on his face immediately quelled her. He thought tactfully about the situation at hand. She searched his eyes for some insight, the slightest hint about what he was thinking, but she couldn't read him. They were in the woods, facing Kasim's supposed meeting point. The two of them were laying on a vantage slope, side by side on their bellies. Michael had the sniper rifle set up, ready for the shot, and Nikita was watching the scene like a hawk through her monocular. He didn't want to sound like a cliché, but he just had to say it,

"It's quiet, Nikita. Too quiet."

She looked at him and nodded. She moved to get up, but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Where do you think you're going?" His grip on her wrist tightened.

"Relax," she hissed at him, "I'm just going down there to get a better view." She twisted her wrist free.

"Bad idea. We don't know how many men are down there, and we don't want to spook them prematurely." He grabbed her wrist again to stop her, but inadvertently pulled her on top of him. Their eyes met for a brief moment. It was very reminiscent of their meeting in the bushes at Victor Han's estate, just a few short months ago. Both of their minds wandered for a split second, wondering "what if". Had this been any other mission, they may have finally given into their temptations… but this was Kasim, and both of them were focused solely on that. Nikita regretfully rolled herself off of Michael and both resumed their positions.

"Look Michael, we don't want to miss our chance at this. If I go down there, I can get a better view of what's going on. I can be your eyes and ears." She almost pleaded with him. He looked at her, and he nodded in agreement. She moved to get up.

"Wait!" He whispered to her. She turned to look at him. He grabbed his lucky knife and handed it to her.

"Michael, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. And I have my own knife…" Nikita started to say, but he interrupted her.

"Yeah, yeah. You have your own knife, you can take care of yourself, and you're a big girl – I get it. Just take this with you for luck. Please, for me." He gave her those puppy-dog eyes of his, and she melted a little on the inside.

"Fine!" She went to grab it from him, but at the last second, he pulled it away. He smiled his teasing grin at her,

"But, only if you give it back." She smiled at him and took the knife. She made her way stealthily down the slope, inching closer to the building Kasim was supposed to be meeting in. Michael was telling her through her earpiece to be careful. Suddenly, down below, a black sedan pulled up. Nikita immediately dove down onto the ground, hoping she hadn't been seen. She saw a figure step out of the car, and make his way around to the house. Then she heard Michael in her ear, "Nikita! I don't have a clear shot. I'm going in." She turned to see Michael carefully making his way down the hill towards the sedan. She peered over to the car and her heart stopped. She felt an enormous lump in her throat, and as if there was a vice tightening around her chest.  
"Michael, don't! It's a trap!" She hissed into his earpiece frantically, but it was already too late.

Roan had appeared out of nowhere, and shot Michael three times, square in the chest. He went down like a sack of potatoes. Nikita desperately fought the urge to run after him and tend to him. She knew he was wearing his Kevlar vest, but she still couldn't help but feel completely torn up inside. She also knew from personal experience that getting shot, even with Kevlar on, hurt like a complete bitch, and could knock you unconscious. Another car pulled up and Kasim got out of the car. He looked down at Michael, and over to Roan. He motioned to his men to take Michael. They dragged him over to the sedan, threw him in the trunk, and drove away. Nikita stayed frozen in her spot, trying to fully understand the situation, and plan her next move. Kasim made his way over to Roan, the two men shook hands, and money was exchanged._ That dirty bastard, he's just working as a gun-for-hire. I should have known I couldn't trust him. _Nikita glared at Roan from the forest. _I can't shoot him now, or else I'll give away my position. I have to find Michael first! _Nikita watched the two men for another few minutes before finally deciding to tear herself away and Michael. She vowed to herself that she would find Roan and Kasim, and kill them both. She looked down in her hand, she was still holding Michael's knife.

* * *

Back at her hotel, Nikita frantically went through her hotel room, searching for a way to track Michael. She opened her laptop. This was one of those times when having a Division-implanted tracker would actually come in handy. She briefly wondered how Michael had even managed to take his out. She sighed – that was a mystery for another day.

She'd remembered the license plate of the car he had been taken in, and logged in to Division's mainframe. She typed in the number and remotely activated its lojack tracker. _Good thing the Nerd installed these upgrades on my computer before I left, _she thought to herself. Nikita sat anxiously, staring at her screen while the map zeroed in on the car (and hopefully Michael's) location. When it finally loaded, she punched the coordinates into her phone, and closed her laptop. She stocked up on guns and ammo and headed out the door.

Meanwhile, back at the scene of the crime, Roan was telephoning Percy to say that Michael had been taken out. Percy smiled to himself.

"And Nikita?" He asked curiously. Roan said she hadn't been there, and that Michael had been on his own. Percy smiled satisfactorily to himself.

"Well, finish the job then, Roan. Call me when you've confirmed the kill and collected the cash." Percy said to his cleaner and hung up the phone. Roan flipped his phone closed and his lips curled into what could only be described as a sickly devious smile. He raised his gun, poised to shoot Kasim in the back of the head. A single shot rang out, disturbing the crisp stillness of the air around. Roan dropped dead to the ground, a bullet between his eyes.

Kasim breathed in deep and closed his eyes. He turned to look at the dead cleaner.

"You killed for money, not god. You were driven by greed, while I am driven by faith. That is why, my friend, you have failed." Kasim, having known the type of person Percy was, had suspected that he'd try and double-cross him, so he came prepared. He looked over to the roof of the house, and waved thanks to his sniper. He piled into his car and drove over to where his men were taking Michael.

* * *

Back at Division, Thom was growing anxious. It had been almost 72 hours since he'd last heard from Michael, and he was very distraught. Michael had missed their last rendezvous time, and Thom was sick with worry. He logged onto the shell program again, and typed eagerly:

_Where are you? I'__m worried. Let me know you're okay - I'm starting to freak out!_

Thom logged off. He felt so frustrated, knowing that he could do nothing to help Michael. He hoped beyond all hope that he was alive. He decided to hit the training room to take his mind off of things – off of Michael, off of Alex, off of everything!

Meanwhile, a little ways away, Percy was waiting for Roan's phone call. It had been over twenty minutes, and Percy was growing impatient. Honestly, how long did it take to put a bullet in a head and collect a suitcase of money? He went back into his office and dialled Roan's cell. No answer. He tried it a second time. Again, there was no answer. Percy cursed and hurled his phone across his office, smashing it to pieces. _Did that son of a bitch just make off with my three million? _Percy brought his fist down onto his desk. He let out a sigh, readjusted himself, and made his way to operations to see Birkhoff.

"Birkhoff!" Percy practically barked at him, causing the techie to jump. "Bring up Roan's tracker. I want to see where that bastard is hiding." Birkhoff recognized the warning tone in Percy's voice, so he decided it was best not to ask questions or throw in any witty remarks. For once, he did as he was told.

"Alright, it says he's still on location in Uzbekistan," Birkhoff pointed to his computer screen. Percy nearly spat on the screen in excitement.

"Good. Send in the standby team to extract him. Now." Percy commanded to him. Birkhoff did as he was told, and radioed the team. He gave them the instructions and the two men waited in operations. Finally, the team leader radioed back to them.

"He's dead, sir." The words pierced through the room and stung Percy.

"And the money?" Percy barked through the earpiece. There was a brief moment of silence.

"It's gone, sir." Birkhoff sneaked a sideways glance at Percy, and saw that his eyes had narrowed into tiny dots, and his nostrils flared. _Boy, I do not want to get on his bad side today, _he thought.

"Get me Nikita on the phone," Percy said, very calmly. Birkhoff did as he was told, and got Percy's right hand woman on the line.

Halfway around the world, Nikita was just about to infiltrate the building where Michael was being held, when she felt her phone vibrate. Caller ID: Division. She was torn. Should she answer her phone, or go rescue Michael? Every minute was crucial. Every decision she made had a consequence.

Love, or duty?


	8. Closure

"Hello?" Nikita answered her phone.

"Nikita!" Percy bellowed into her ear, "I need you on site. Roan's dead and Kasim has fled the scene. Be a dear and find him." Nikita swallowed. Roan was dead?

"Sir, do we have a location on Kasim?"

"No, Birkhoff is tracking him down now. I have a team cleaning up Roan's mess. I want you on standby to move as soon as we get Kasim's location."

"Yes, sir." Nikita realised she needed to get in and rescue Michael before Birkhoff located Kasim, and Percy put two and two together. She clicked the safety off on her gun, and silently slipped into the building.

**- FIFTEEN MINUTES EARLIER ****- **

Michael awoke gasping for air. He felt as if an elephant had sat on him. His hands instinctively went to his chest, and he gasped out in pain. Broken ribs, no doubt the result from the three slugs he took to the chest. Instantly, he remembered everything; Nikita saying something in his ear piece, the ambush, and then being shot by… Roan? Division had known about the mission. Had he been played by Nikita? His mind raced for a moment, until he refocused on his current situation. He could put the pieces of the puzzle together later. Right now, he felt dizzy and extremely uncomfortable. He realized after a moment that he was in the trunk of a car, and assumed that he was being carted back to Division. He frowned slightly, thinking that Nikita must have been the one to tip off Division. Her supposed betrayal stung him nearly as bad as his chest did.

The car started to slow down… _How __long __have __I __been __unconscious?_ He thought to himself. The car came to a full stop, and he heard the doors slam. He quickly formed a plan in his head, and braced himself for whoever was unlucky enough to open the trunk. He went limp and closed his eyes just enough so that they looked closed, but just enough so that he could see. The trunk door opened and he saw two of Kasim's men. This surprised him, but he remained still. Michael spotted one of the lackey's guns, neatly tucked into his waistband. He waited until the men went to grab him, and he made his move. In one smooth motion, his hand swooped out and grabbed the gun from the thug's waist and promptly shot him in the chest. Without flinching he flicked the gun to the side and shot the other man. He heard footsteps and his heart skipped a beat. _Damn! __I __forgot __about __the __driver!_Michael had barely enough time to react before another man appeared before him, wielding a gun. Michael shot him square in the chest. Confident that there were no more men waiting to shoot him, Michael painfully got up and out of the trunk. He surveyed his surroundings – he appeared to be in a warehouse district. He remembered seeing it on a map, when he and Nikita had been scouting the area.

He knew exactly where he was. Michael knew he was injured, in shock, and in no shape to fight off anyone. His mind started filling in the blanks, '_If __Division __didn__'__t __ambush __us, __then __that __means __Kasim__'__s __men __did__…__. __Nikita!__' _Michael barely had enough time to register what had really happened when he saw Kasim's car pulling up. He immediately ducked and ran for cover. He watched as Kasim and two other men got out of the car and spotted the men Michael had killed. Kasim shouted out directions to his men, and pulled out his cell phone to make a call. Michael strained to hear what he was saying.

"As you suspected, Percy tried to double-cross me. Yes, it seems Michael has escaped again. Everything seems to have gone according to your plan. I hope this concludes our business together, Amanda."

_I __should __have __known! _Michael mentally kicked himself for not figuring it out sooner. He watched as Kasim grinned to himself as he radioed his men to clean up the bodies, and went inside the warehouse. Michael watched the men drag the bodies inside, and began planning his next move.

_I __can__'__t __stop __now. __Not __when __I__'__m __so __close. __I __can __take __Kasim __out __now, __and __be __gone __before __anyone __even __knows __what __happened. _Michael thought dangerously to himself. He gathered up his strength, and surveyed the warehouse. _Infiltrate, __take __out __guards, __find __Kasim, __kill __him, __and __get __out. __Simple __enough, __right?_

Michael entered the building just as Nikita pulled up to "rescue" him.

Back in Division, Birkhoff was beginning to feel the wrath of Percy, as he struggled to find a location on Kasim.

"I've hacked into the infrared satellite to track his body heat, but he could literally be any one of these people. I've narrowed it down to three locations, given the location of the exchange, and the distance it would take to travel. I can send all thee to Nikki…"

Percy gritted his teeth at this news. Birkhoff was supposed to be the best, and all he could do was narrow it down to three locations? He nodded to the techie to send Nikita the locations. He sent her a text: _Incoming __data __from __Birkhoff. __3 __possible __locations. __Locate __and __cancel __target. __Backup __Team __on __standby __if __needed. __Extraction __in __30._

Thom had been listening in on all the commotion. _Shit, __the __Boss __is __in __trouble!_ He was worried, and didn't know what to do or how to help him. He was trying to formulate a plan in his head when Alex came up to him.

"Hey…" she said. He looked startled.

"If you've been avoiding me because of what happened the other day," she started to say, "well, I just wanted you to know that it's not what you think, Thom. They watch us all the time. You have to be more careful. I don't want anything to happen to you."

He nodded.

"I understand," he said, "and I'm sorry. I don't' know what came over me. It won't happen again."

She smiled at him, grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She left him feeling even more confused and slightly flustered. Deciding that there was nothing to do except wait, and have faith that Michael could take care of himself, Thom returned to his recruit room and flopped onto his bed, deep in thought.

BzzzBzzz. Nikita's phone buzzed just as she was entering the warehouse. She ducked into the shadows under cover, and read the message from Percy, then the subsequent message from Birkhoff. She replied with a quick "will do" and stuffed her phone back into her trouser pocket. _Okay, __this __is __it, __I __have __to __exfil __Michael __right __now __or __it__'__ll __be __too __late!_

She methodically searched every room, but found nothing. Finally, she heard muffled gunshots and shouting. She ran towards it, fighting the urge to call out Michael's name.

Nikita rushed into a large shipping room, and found Michael and Kasim. Her former mentor was kicking the terrorist, who was rolling around on the floor.

"Tell me, Kasim, how does it feel? Do you feel as much pain as I felt when you MURDERED my family?"

"Michael!" Nikita called out. He looked up at her as he was about to deliver another blow to Kasim. She saw so much pain in his eyes, it ripped right through her, and she suddenly felt so sad for him. She nodded to him in understanding, and he blinked at her, and looked back down at Kasim. Michael squatted down, kneeling over the man responsible for his wife and daughter's deaths.

"Just tell me why. Why me? Why **my** family?" Michael whispered to him so softly that Nikita almost couldn't even hear.

Kasim laughed and spat out blood. He looked up at Michael, and his expression changed abruptly.

"Do not ask questions that you don't want to know the answer to," he said. Michael slapped him, and grabbed him by his shirt collar.

"Tell me! I was your friend. We were working together, but you betrayed me. Tell me why!" Michael shook him violently as he spat out his question.

Kasim said something but neither Michael nor Nikita could understand it.

"What did you say?"

"PERCY!" Kasim shouted with the last of his strength. Michael dropped him onto the floor and Kasim slumped down into a ball. A horrified expression ran across Michael's face, and made its way over to Nikita's. They glanced at each other, and their eyes said it all: _No, __this __can__'__t __be! __Kasim __is __lying. __He __must __be. __Percy __would __never__…__. __Or __would __he?_

Michael once again squatted over Kasim, this time, pulling out his gun. He pressed it into Kasim's skull and demanded to be told what he meant by "Percy".

"You know what I mean. Percy actually assigned me to kill you. But when I killed your family by mistake, he saw it as a perfect opportunity to use you. You were a pawn all along, Michael." As Kasim told the story, Michael's disbelief slowly quelled and he came to grips with what he was learning.

Kasim said that he had been a Division agent, once upon a time. He was planted as a double agent to infiltrate the terrorist organization. However, he soon realised that Division was the enemy, and joined his comrades, fully switching sides. Percy had not been too pleased with that, but there wasn't much he could do.

When he finished his story, Michael stood up, dropped his gun, and staggered away. He breezed past Nikita without looking at her. _I __should __have __known. __He __killed __Dani, __why __is __it __such __a __stretch __that __he __had __my __family __killed __all __those __years __ago. __How __could __I __have __worked __for __him __all __those __years? __He__'__s __a __dead __man._

Kasim was painfully crawling over to Michael's dropped gun. He looked over at Nikita, and smirked. This absolutely outraged her, and she grabbed her gun and shot him right between the eyes. She turned on her heel and left the warehouse without looking back.

Outside, she found Michael staring off into the distance. She came up beside him and touched his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. He turned to look at her.

"I know."

"Division extraction team will be here soon. You need to get out of here, Michael." He nodded and stood rooted to the spot for another minute, before turning to leave.

He stopped at the last minute and turned to her.

"I hope you've finally opened your eyes to Division, Nikita. Percy needs to be stopped. You know that I will kill him. I'm going to find each and every single one of those black boxes, and then put a bullet in his brain."

"I… I don't know what to say, Michael." Nikita admitted.

"Well, when you figure it out, you know where to find me." And with that, he turned and left.

* * *

**AN: I KNOW! I haven't updated in forever, and I'm sorry! I hope it was worth the wait. I had some crazy stuff going on and wasn't able to write, but now it's all good. So, please review! If you guys like it, then I will update regularly. **

**Thanks for sticking with me this long! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapters. You all rock! Enjoy the holidays everyone.**


	9. Allies at Last

**AN: **This chapter is a little shorter than the last one, but I think it's a pretty dynamite chapter with a lot going forward. No "action", but more character development. Hope you all enjoy! Happy Holidays :)

* * *

"Yes?" A shadowy figured answered the phone. "I see. And he escaped? That's excellent. Goodbye, Kasim."

Amanda slide her phone shut and allowed herself a small smile. _Everything is going according to plan.  
_She fixed a stray strand of hair, and made her way into Percy's office.

* * *

Thom was busy installing an invisible program on Division's server that would allow him to see what they searched, and would flag him every time Michael's name came up. He could log onto any computer, and, like the shell program, have full access to the files without anyone being any wiser.

Once he'd finally heard back from Michael, and been assured that he was okay, Thom felt relieved, and resumed his espionage duties within Division. Had he not been so preoccupied with the news of Michael's safe return, he would have noticed that he failed to slip into the server room undetected.

"Thom!" Alex whispered loudly to him. He stopped in his tracks and turned to her. He'd been caught red-handed sneaking out of Birkhoff's server room. He glanced around the hall, and luckily there was no one else in sight.

"What were you doing in there?" She asked him, crossing her arms. Thom was momentarily stunned. He nodded at her, and pulled her aside in the hallway.

"Look, don't you ever wonder why we're here? Why they brought us here?" He asked her.

"I think you know _why_ we're here, Thom." She seemed unconvinced.

"No, not that. I mean, why **me**? What made them decide that I'm not just a waste of space? That I'm not just some kid beyond saving? Don't you ever wonder?" His eyes searched hers.

"Well, yeah. But I don't go breaking into Birkhoff's computers to find out why! Are you trying to get yourself cancelled?"

"It was stupid, I admit. But, Alex, I just had to know. You can understand that, right?" She nodded. He felt a sudden rush of relief course through him. _I don't like lying to her. I wish I could tell her the truth._

"It was stupid, Thom. I told you, I don't want anything to happen to you. Don't you dare pull another reckless stunt like this again. Promise?"

"I promise," he lied to her. She smiled at him and sent him off. She watched as he made his way back to his room. _I wonder what he's really up to... There's something different about him. I know it. I wish he would talk to me about it…._

* * *

Michael sat at his desk, staring aimlessly into space. He'd been back from Uzbekistan for less than 12 hours, and it still hadn't sunk in. Percy's betrayal had quadrupled. Michael just couldn't believe that he had been so blind to it all for so long. He felt foolish.

_I should have listened to Nikita all those years ago, when she told me that something wasn't right. If I'd only listened to her, then Danielle would still be alive today… How ironic it is that I was the one to convince her that there was good in Division. Sigh._

Michael was lost in his thoughts when he heard footsteps. He ducked down, grabbed his gun, and rolled over to the south wall of his loft. His gun was trained on the doorway, and his eyes were fixed.

"Michael…?" It was Nikita's voice, soft and unsure. Michael immediately relaxed. She entered the loft and her eyes landed on Michael. He looked so tired and sad, and it broke her heart. They walked towards each other, as if in a trance, not saying anything, eyes locked with one another. They stopped a foot away from each other, and Michael broke the silence.

"You were right." He said to her, so soft that it was barely audible.

"About what?" Nikita was confused.

"About Division. About Percy. All along, you knew, Nikita. You knew Percy was up to no good. And I didn't listen."

"No, Michael..."

"No. It's all my fault. If I had just listened to you five years ago," his voice caught in his throat. He closed the gap between them and grabbed her hand, "Things could have been different."

"Michael, no. It's not your fault. It's mine. I should have come with you when you asked me. I don't know why I stayed. I think about that night almost every day. I was afraid, and I didn't know what I wanted. I'm sorry." A tear began to fall from her face, and Michael reached up to gently wipe it away.

"Well, do you know what you want now?" He asked her. She looked up into his eyes, and nodded. She leaned in and softly kissed him. He didn't even have time to respond before she pulled away, but she was still well within range of his lips. He leaned in to kiss her again, but she backed away slightly. He stopped and looked at her puzzledly.

"You told me once, a long time ago, that you couldn't be with me, until your family was avenged." She said to him gently, and he looked down. She cupped his cheek with her hand.

"We've only just got back from Uzbekistan. You probably haven't had time to process everything that's happened. I don't want to rush you, Michael. You're worth the wait."

He smiled at her, and she couldn't remember the last time she saw Michael genuinely smile, and it made her smile back at him.

"No," he whispered. "I'm tired of waiting. We've waited enough."

He grabbed her and kissed her, gently at first, but then the need grew greater and the two of them were sharing a kiss more passionate than they'd ever experienced before. Finally, they broke for air. He ran his fingers through his hair, and looked at Nikita.

"What about Division?" He asked her.

"Oh, were you still planning on taking them down?" She teased. He gave her a look that said it all, and she laughed.

"Nikita, I'm serious."

"Yes, I know. Very serious Michael, always so serious." She teased him again. This time, he grabbed her and twirled her down onto his sofa. He had her pinned underneath him in a very _serious_ position, and he asked her again.

"Nikita…"

"Yes, Michael?" she answered in a playfully mocking tone.

"What are we going to do?"

"Hmm, I'm sure we'll think of something." She wriggled underneath him, causing his jeans to seemingly light on fire with the friction she created. He looked at her dangerously. She giggled at him.

"I think the solution is staring us right in the face," she murmured into his ear.

"Oh? Enlighten me then." He said as he nipped her neck.

"I'll be your inside man. Double agent Nikita reporting for duty."

Michael suddenly remembered Thom, and stopped kissing Nikita.

"Nikita, I have to tell you something." She saw the look in his eyes, and he had her full attention. They repositioned themselves from vertical to horizontal on the couch.

"I already have someone on the inside," he started to say, but then stopped. _Have I said too much? What if I've endangered Thom?_

Nikita sensed his hesitation.

"Michael, if you still don't trust me…" she sounded a little hurt, but tried to hide it.

"I do trust you. Look, I planted a mole on the inside. He's been feeding me intel. That's how I've been able to get the jump on you so many times." He stopped talking and looked confused suddenly as Nikita started to smile. _Why is she smiling? Did I say something funny?_

Michael had casually imagined having this conversation with Nikita maybe a dozen or so times. He thought he'd imagined every possible reaction she'd have. He was sure he could anticipate what she'd say. However, what she actually did say surprised him entirely.

"So, the student finally becomes the master." Nikita grinned.  
Michael had never been so confused in his life. He waited for her to explain.

"It's Thom. I know it is! Right, Michael?"

He was flabbergasted. His usual stoic expression changed to one of utter surprise and Nikita read it like a book, and grinned and him.

"Nikita… How did you… Does Percy….?" He couldn't even get out a full sentence. His brain was working in overdrive. _Is Thom in danger? How did she know it was him?_

She could see he the wheels spinning in his head, so she decided to quell his fears.

"Don't worry, Michael. He's perfectly safe. Nobody knows. Just me." He looked at her quizzically.

"How? How did you know?"

"Would you believe… women's intuition?" She asked him with a smile. He gave her a look that said _are you serious? You really expect me to believe that?_

"I'm serious, Michael! I just had a feeling about him. And I was watching him one day, and he did your signature takedown when he was sparring with another recruit. Don't laugh, but it actually gave me goosebumps, and made me think of you." He looked at her closely. _Is she...?_

"Are you blushing?" Michael was elated. He didn't think he'd ever seen Nikita blush before.

"Shut up!" She punched him playfully in the arm. He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"So, what now?" He asked her. Slowly, she slid off the couch and stood up. The Division agent grabbed the rogue agent's hand, pulled him up off the couch, and led him over to the bed. She took off her tank top, and then slid his shirt off, before pushing him gently onto the mattress. Positioning herself on top of him, she straddled him ever so delicately, and whispered in his ear, "I've wanted this for a long time, Michael." He reached behind to caress her back, and undo her bra clasp, before whispering back, "Me too."

As his jeans and her leggings fell together in a tangled heap onto the floor, their bodies fell tangled together onto the bed.


End file.
